Page 69 of Wanting You

“Chloe, I…”

“When we got to the pro shop and the manager tried to tell me this was a private event and I’d have to come back tomorrow, that was when you finally acknowledged me and introduced me. Then I was relegated to a spot in the corner for almost two hours! No one offered me anything to drink or even a place to sit! It was incredibly uncomfortable!”

“Okay, but…”

“All I wanted to do was leave,” she went on. “I contemplated texting Ash and asking her to come and get me, but I didn’t want to embarrass you.”

“I had no idea. I’m so sorry!” But he realized that might be too little, too late.

“Here’s the thing, the last guy I dated was a big-time corporate lawyer.”

“Wait…seriously?”

She nodded. “He worked with the billionaire guy responsible for all the growth here in Sweetbriar. Anyway, we had nothing in common—not really—but ultimately we figured that out. I didn’t fit in his world. I enjoy my life here. It’s simple and uncomplicated, and I’m really beginning to see how much I need that for my happiness.” Another sigh. “I don’t fit in your world, Tanner.”

“But you do!” he countered. “What happened tonight is beyond rare! Hell, I can make sure it never happens again!”

She shook her head. “That’s not what I want, and if you’re being totally honest, it’s not what you want either.” Pausing, she gave him a sad smile. “I watched you tonight and you were…you looked happier than I’ve ever seen you. You were eating all that attention up and there’s nothing wrong with that. You are a big deal and you deserve to have people praising you. It’s just not something I enjoy being around and I didn’t appreciate being treated like I was invisible.”

“Chloe, that will never happen again. I promise. I’ll make sure that you are front and center at every event moving forward! That you get treated like a VIP! I can totally work that into any contract for any promotional event I do!”

Her shoulders sagged. “You’re not hearing me, Tanner. I’m not asking you to change anything for me. I’m not a VIP and I don’t want to be a VIP. I hate the spotlight. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I…I just want my life back. The one where there are no surprises, and my family is just all happy and healthy and…that’s it.”

“Chloe, sweetheart, that’s not a life. That’s not living,” he told her. “That’s asking to live in a bubble. Life is messy sometimes. People screw up and make mistakes, but then they make things right. And surprises don’t only have to be bad. Just like changes. You know the saying that change is the only constant in life? If you refuse to handle the changes…”

“I don’t expect you to understand,” she clarified. “But tonight just…it made things clear for me. We already know I’m not handling the stuff with my parents very well, and we talked about my feelings about all the other changes earlier today. And with the upcoming ski season, it sounds like your time is going to be pretty full with that.”

“I’ll back out of all of it,” he said, willing to beg.

But she shook her head again. “It’s not you, Tanner. It’s me. I think it’s best if we just…cooled things off for a while. It seems like we both have outside distractions and obligations, and they’d be better handled…separately. I’m sorry.”

For a moment, he couldn’t quite comprehend what he was hearing.

“I understand what you’re saying and that you think it’s what you want, but…I’ve seen this…this…change in you since we met. I’ve seen you step out of your comfort zone and simply turn into this even more amazing version of yourself. I know things are scary and a bit unsettling for you right now, but I don’t think reverting back into your shell is going to make you happy, and it certainly isn’t going to stop all the things from happening.”

“Tanner…”

And it was something in her tone that stopped him.

“It won’t matter, will it?” he murmured. “I could sit here all night and tell you all the ways you inspire me or how incredible you are, and you won’t believe it. You don’t want to. I can list a thousand ways that you’re amazing and you won’t see it.”

Her eyes shone bright with unshed tears, but she looked away before any of them fell.

“Do you want me to beg?” he asked, his voice raw. “Because I will. I think we’re worth fighting for. I think we have something good here, Chloe. Something that has the promise of an incredible future.”

“Sometimes you have to know when it’s not going to work out. Even if it hurts more than you ever thought possible,” she said quietly, letting out a shaky breath. “Sometimes wanting someone isn’t enough.”

“It’s not just wanting you. What we have is so much more than that, and I think you know it.”

She looked up at him. “I need to feel good about myself, and I don’t right now. I’m sorry.”

They sat in silence for several long moments, and he had to admit the truth—there wasn’t anything he could say to fix this. He could schmooze with pretty much anyone in the world and win them over, but for the first time in his life, he didn’t have the words.

He didn’t have the charm or anything to win over the one person in the world he wanted most of all.

And it crushed him.

“Okay, then,” he whispered. “I guess I should go.”

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